Photos courtesy Lindy Scott | Life + Soul; Kansas City Chiefs; Chicago Bears; Ohio State University
“It’s absolutely special to have a kid in a Super Bowl and to have a kid win a national championship in college,” said Center Grove High School (CGHS) football Head Coach Eric Moore about two of his standout high school players, Carson Steele and Caden Curry. “I’ve had both, but having them at the same time is really special.”
Steele, a 2021 CGHS graduate and 2020 Indiana Mr. Football, just concluded his rookie NFL season with the Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City Chiefs. Curry, a December 2021 CGHS graduate and 2021 Defensive Lineman Indiana Mr. Football, just finished his junior season with the college national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
The former CGHS teammates helped the Trojans win the class 6A state finals in 2020 with an undefeated record during Steele’s senior year. Curry helped propel CGHS to a second undefeated state championship in 2021, his senior season.
Steele, a bruising and physical running back, finished his high school career with 5,907 rushing yards and 82 rushing touchdowns, and also set 16 school records. Steele played three seasons in college, two for Ball State and his final season with UCLA. During his sophomore season with the Cardinals, Steele amassed 1,556 rushing yards, ranking him ninth nationally and top in the conference. He totaled 847 rushing yards and posted two 100-yard rushing games in one season for the Bruins. Steele was ready to take his talents to the NFL after his junior season. He signed with the two-time Super Bowl defending champion Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent.
“When he had the opportunity to sign with [the Chiefs], it was like, ‘Oh, wow,’” said Moore. “He asked for my opinion. I’m like, ‘Well, I think they’ll probably go to the Super Bowl,’ which I was right. You don’t have to be too smart to know that, and you may never have a chance at an opportunity to be on a team that can do that again. Even if he stays with the Chiefs, they may not go back.”
Moore believed this was a perfect fit for Steele.
“The kind of people that are on the team, I thought that was sort of a neat situation to be around,” Moore said. “They have such highly regarded players, but they have two of the most popular people in the whole world, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. You’re going to be around them, and you’re going to be lockering next to them. Patrick Mahomes took a liking to him real quick and I knew he would. It’s just been great to see him be around a program like that. Andy Reid is such a successful coach, and it’s hard to get rid of a kid who works so hard and can do anything like a Swiss Army knife. This is a wonderful situation for him.”
Due to early-season injuries on the Chiefs’ roster, the rookie was thrust into the backfield, starting three games. In week three of the regular season, Steele had a season-high 17 carries and 79 yards rushing in the Chiefs’ win at Atlanta. Steele learned a lot about the pro game in his inaugural season.
“Everybody’s fast and everybody’s strong,” said Steele. “It’s more about having the knowledge of the game and learning from the veteran guys. We have a bunch of older guys here in the Chiefs’ backfield, so being able to learn from those guys and the coaches has really helped my game.”
Curry helped the Trojans to a perfect 28-0 record and state titles in 2020 and 2021. In his final year at CGHS, he had 65 tackles, including 24 for a loss and seven sacks. He also appeared on offense by the goal line, scoring three rushing touchdowns and catching two touchdown passes. For his prep career, Curry finished with 290 tackles, including 83.5 for a loss and 28 sacks.
Curry has earned more playing time with the Buckeyes the past two seasons, appearing in 26 games and receiving two varsity letters. He’s one of the few defensive ends nationally to play on kickoff coverage units, totaling 260 defensive snaps and 363 special-teams snaps after three seasons.
“It’s not been what Caden thought it was going to be [at Ohio State],” said Moore. “I tell these kids that when you go to superstar universities, there are great football players in front of you, and there have been great football players in front of Caden. To Caden’s credit, he’s not taking a back seat to anyone. He’s done whatever they’ve asked him to do. He’s rotated; he’s played every special team. Caden is the only defensive lineman in the history of Ohio State to be on the kickoff team for three years. I don’t know if there are any other D linemen on the kickoff team, but that’s how great of an athlete he is.
“I remember being at the Nike football convention, and the Ohio State special-teams coach was talking about Cayden Curry on the kickoff and how he breaks down and runs through people,” Moore added. “He’s very coachable and he’s been patient. [The Ohio State coaching staff] called me during the first two months he got there, and they were so impressed by the way he would lead the team in drills because he was so ready to go. Now it’s his time. He stayed. He didn’t transfer away. He showed his loyalty to Ohio State. Hopefully they’ll show loyalty back to him, which I think they will. He will be on the field this year. He had played behind first-round NFL draft picks. Everybody he’s played behind has been a superstar. The table is set for him to be just as successful.”
Curry said Moore’s football program helped prepare him for the rigors at Ohio State.
“Coach Moore taught me how to love the game of football, and how to be a man and get ready for the next level of life,” Curry said. “He definitely has that dad aspect on the football field. With Center Grove it’s a higher standard. Everybody pushes you to want to be the best version of yourself. That’s what we have at Ohio State. We have a culture that is fighting to be the best version of yourself. I feel with Center Grove and Ohio State, that’s correlated with me in my life, and I just grind every day.”
Curry said that with the ups and downs he’s experienced at Ohio State, the support he’s received from the Center Grove community has been a blessing.
“Ever since I stepped foot off from Center Grove, I’ve definitely heard from thousands of people from around this community,” he said. “I just feel so much love from them. That’s been great.”
Steele said the same. He feels the support and also sees it online through social media platforms.
“I check everybody on Twitter and Facebook,” Steele said. “Sometimes I won’t respond, but I see everything, so I want to say thank you to everybody for the support. It means the world to me and definitely helps me when I have my ups and downs. It definitely helps, seeing everybody since I was young supporting me still.”
Steele’s football journey began as a youngster playing in the Center Grove Bantam Football League, where he dreamed of being a pro football player.
“My number-one goal in life was playing in the NFL,” he said. “Playing in the NFL is every little kid’s dream. Being with the Chiefs has been a blessing, and Coach Moore and all my family and all my friends around me have helped me along that way.”
Moore has supported Steele throughout his career.
“He’s helped me through Ball State, UCLA, and is even helping me now,” Steele said. “He’s always been a second father figure to me, and he’s always helped me through everything, even the ups and downs when I’ve had injuries. Just having him on my side, ever since I was young to the Power Club days – he’s been awesome.”
Steele has always taken time to give back, whether during his high school playing days, college years, or with his current NFL position.
“Honestly I always looked up to [former CGHS running backs] Titus McCoy and Max Norris,” Steel said. “They gave so much to me when I was younger. Giving back to other people has helped me succeed and make me into the person I am today.”
“I’m especially proud of Carson because he does take time to give back,” said Moore. “You could see that coming. He’s been giving back even when he was in high school. I was waiting to collect the uniforms for laundry an hour after the game, and he was still signing autographs at the fence; most kids wouldn’t do that. They wouldn’t want to stay that long. He cares about the littlest, most tiny aspects of our community and our athletic programs. He’s always lived up to the guy, the person and the character that he is.”
Steele said he sees similarities between Moore and three-time Super Bowl champion Head Coach Andy Reid.
“It almost kind of gives the Center Grove type of vibes, and that’s why I love it so much,” said Steele. “I know they’re real old-school, how Coach Reid does things. It’s a hardcore training camp. He doesn’t really take no for an answer. He’s always pushing his players, and so it kind of brings me back to Coach Moore, and that’s how I really related to that. That’s why they’ve had so much success through the years.”
Steele is one of three CGHS graduates playing in the NFL. Fellow high school teammate Austin Booker just concluded his rookie season with the Chicago Bears after being selected 144th in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Booker was a part of the Trojans’ 2020 state championship team, played two seasons collegiately at Minnesota, and played his final season at Kansas.
“Booker, since the spring of his [high school] junior year, has turned into a machine,” said Moore. “Austin Booker is probably more gifted than Caden Curry or Carson Steele or anybody we’ve ever had here. He has length, and he’s got good speed and power for such a big, tall person. He is a great athlete. As you remember, he played on the basketball team here. He’s done a good job with the limited time he got as a rookie. He’s making plays when he gets in there. I was privy to seeing the draft card status at the combine, and it said a possible late-round pick, and a starter by the third year. He’s a great kid, a great person and comes from a great family.”
Russ Yeast was the first Trojan selected in the NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Rams picked him 253rd in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 33 games for the Rams from 2022 through 2024, and was the first CGHS player to play in a playoff game in 2024. In 2024 he played two games for Carolina and one with Houston. Following the season, he re-signed with the Texans. The 2017 CGHS graduate helped lead CGHS to a 6A state runner-up finish in the 2016 state tournament. He earned first-team all-state accolades, was the Indiana Player of the Year by USA TODAY Sports, and was named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year. Yeast played four seasons at Louisville before playing his final year at Kansas State.
Yeast gives a lot of credit to Moore for helping him on his football journey.
“Coach Moore helped prepare me for the next phase in life in many ways,” said Yeast. “The values and the hard work were the cornerstones of his program, and prepared me for the collegiate level. Even to this day, both on the field and off the field, he’s always there for me when I need guidance or an honest opinion. Coach Moore is a great example of how positively influencing the people around you can have a lasting effect on someone’s life.”
“He’s so fast, and he’s got such great strength and power for a smaller-type position in football, but he’s a great football player,” said Moore. “Some kids are just strong and fast. Russ is a great athlete. Russ could have been a great baseball player and probably could have played basketball. He’s a great track athlete. Russ is as good of an athlete as I’ve ever seen in 40 years and can do unbelievable things. He’s a great striker, and he intercepts footballs. He can just do it all.”
“There have been many ups and downs in my career since playing my last game for CG back in 2016,” said Yeast. “My college career was successful and then I had a major injury in 2019. That was a low point, but I know it was part of my journey. The next year I had to overcome doubt and adversity. Then I decided to bet on myself and that took me to Kansas State in 2021. I was blessed to be drafted in 2022, and now I’m embracing the process of carving out my NFL career. The main lessons I’ve learned in handling adversity are to always believe in myself, and to relentlessly pursue my goals regardless of who says I can’t or I won’t.”
Moore is beyond proud of Steele, Curry, Booker and Yeast.
“They are still concentrating on working,” Moore said. “It’s not party time. It’s not ‘Oh, I did it and I’m done.’ No – it’s, ‘What more can we do.’ I love that they’re humble and I love that they still love to practice. But what I love the most is they’re the greatest young men of all. Russ Yeast is as fine a young man as you’ll find. Caden Curry is as fine a young man as you’ll find. Austin Booker is as fine a young man as you can find out there. And obviously, Carson Steele is the all-American great boy. I just love the men that they have become. I just know the future is huge for them. I love that I got a front-row seat to watch all this stuff happen.”
